What To Look For When Buying Damascus Steel Knives

Before anything else, we should define Damascus steel. What is it exactly?

That's a little harder than it sounds...

"Damascus steel" is a rather general term. It refers to any knife with a unique swirl or wave pattern like our Silver Steel #3 Damascus Wa-Santoku below!

The first type of Damascus steel (Wootz steel) came from crucible steel in India.

Smiths in the city of Damascus used Wootz steel for their swords. This historical link is the main theory of where the "Damascus Steel" name comes from.

The original Damascus steel manufacturing techniques are gone, lost to history. Close replications now exist and peer-reviewed papers show this (Such as Verhoeven, J.D., Pendray, A.H., Dauksch, W.E. et al. Damascus Steel Revisited. JOM 70, 1331–1336 (2018)). But, they are not identical due to differences in raw materials or techniques. As people continue to work hard though, discoveries may happen.

Modern Damascus steel is, at its simplest, made by layering two or more steels. Artisans forge weld these together and then etch them with acid. Or, the wave-like pattern appears via fine polishing.

While modern and ancient Damascus steel share names, production methods are completely different.

Damascus steel looks beautiful and cool, and that's its main appeal point. By looking at a knife with a pattern like the above, you can get the impression it'll cut well.

Seeing a ripple pattern from the machi to the tip/kissaki of the blade is wonderful to admire. Plus, it matches well with kiritsuke-type knives, known for their interesting shape. For example, our Rin AUS-10 Kiritsuke-Santoku knife. Or our Kirameki Blue Steel #1 Suminagashi Kiritsuke-Deba for something more traditional.

As knife makers and enthusiasts, sharpness is important in any knife. Yet, a knife should look appealing to its user; it makes it easier to bond to the tool. Kitchen knives are lifelong tools with "souls" of their own, so connecting to them is important. Damascus steel makes that easier, as the knife is stunning from the first look.

Many ways exist to make the Damascus-style finish. This method impacts how long the pattern lasts on the blade.

Two main types of Damascus steel are present in Western-style knives.

Unless it says otherwise, Damascus-finish knives are likely Joining-type Damascus knives.

Joining-type Damascus

Generally, artisans make high-quality kitchen knife blades with two materials. Softer iron surrounds a knife's hard steel core, sandwiching them together. This combination makes the knife more resistant to shock and impact damage.

Damascus steel uses this method too. Yet, this sandwich-style approach prevents the pattern from reaching the blade's cutting edge. This allows for flexibility in the finish, at the cost of unformity.

Our Ikazuchi series are Joining-type Damascus knives, like our Ikazuchi Petty Knife. This knife uses a VG-10 stainless steel for the hard steel core. This steel is then clad with Joining-type Damascus steel. Damascus is sometimes combined with other finishes too. Our Ikazuchi demonstrates this with an added Kurouchi finish.

Joining-type Damascus can have a plated pattern, or be random as part of the forging. Plated patterns are more common in inexpensive knives. Ichimonji knives have random patterns, making no two knives the same. This uniqueness is one of the other beauties of Damascus steel!

Coreless Steel

Takefu Special Steel makes a unique version of Damascus steel, called "Coreless Steel". Many Coreless Steel knives are in stores today; we have an in-depth article on Coreless Steel to read here! Like an all-steel knife or a honyaki knife, it has no core. Rather, the entire knife blade is the core.

This means the Damascus pattern can go to the cutting edge, making for a beautiful knife!

Coreless Steel is a laminated steel using materials like VG-10 and VG-2. Both are already used as hard steels in the kitchen knife industry. Coreless Steel also shares some of the same characteristics as Single Steel knives.

Coreless and Single Steel knives have good sharpness, hardness, and edge retention. That is, provided they are well made.

Plus, as Coreless Steel has steels of varying hardnesses inside it, it changes how the blade wears. This unique wear style leads to an even longer lasting and sharper edge

We do not make any Coreless Steel knives, but this is changing! We'll update this once we start selling them.

We cannot stress the above sentence enough. Many misconceptions exist that a Damascus steel knife is good by default, which is not true.

There are other characteristics to consider when it comes to Damascus steel knives. A Damascus steel knife of course can be amazing, and often is! It comes down to what you're looking for in a knife. Below are some of the advantages that are important to us:

The knife is likely high-quality

A knife with Damascus steel will likely be a good standard due to the higher material costs. Plus, the expert needs behind forging, polishing, and finishing the patterning increase quality.

But, as we wrote earlier, Damascus steel is popular. Very popular. This has led to Damascus knives flooding stores that focus on cost-cutting. Inexpensive Damascus steel knives have patterns plated on instead of being hand-forged. Those simplified manufacturing processes allow for mass production and thus cheaper costs. Printed-on patterns can be thin, leading to structural risks with the knife. This in turn leads to a reduced lifespan.

An inexpensive Damascus knife is still what it is; inexpensive. The inexpensive knife now also has a ripple-effect pattern on it, is all. This means even less cost goes into the other parts of the steel and related manufacturing. Of course, sometimes this doesn't apply. But, it is best to be aware of this when shopping for Damascus steel knives, or any knives. If you factor in the costs and forging done, you'll likely get a good-quality Damascus steel knife.

If you see a Damascus steel knife, ask if you can see other copies of the same knife. If the pattern is identical, it's likely plated on and you may want to ask further questions.

The knives look great

As we wrote above, this is by far the most important feature of Damascus—it's beautiful to look at. This beauty is one of the main factors that brought along today's Japanese kitchen knife boom. Appreciating and admiring the special pattern a knife has is fun to do. A forged Damascus steel knife will have a unique pattern too. A special pattern means special appreciation too.

We make knives with the concept of using them for a lifetime. Our stance is that it's important to have a knife that is nice to use. That includes people appreciating its beauty. Cutting performance is but one factor to consider. Whether someone is a home-use chef or a professional one in a kitchen, the look of Damascus is important. If a knife is nice to look at, it's more fun to use!

They're popular gifts

Combining the two benefits above, Damascus finishes are popular as gifts. They're practical, high-quality, and look glamorous. Plus, they carry the meaning of paving the way for the future as knife gift-giving in Japan often does. Read our article all about knives as gifts if you want to know more about their cultural impact.

Damascus steel knives look beautiful, but sacrifices are to get that finish. Even with a high-quality Damascus steel knife, keep the below in mind.

The knife needs special care to keep the pattern

If you plan to use your knife for a long time, it will be necessary to file down the sides of the knife. This is to thin it and restore its cutting power. When doing this, the whetstone will wear that layered pattern away.

You can also scratch the pattern if you aren't careful. For example, using a scrubber that is too rough will damage it. Even a strong or citric detergent can erase the pattern. Be very careful when cleaning such knives. Use a neutral detergent and warm water.

If you don't thin out the knife too much and sharpen it at a more vertical angle, the pattern stays visible longer. This may be the case if high-end sharpness is less important to you. The pattern will always be there in a faint way as long as there are layers left on the knife. It's easier to keep the pattern on at first. But, as you keep using the knife, the sides of the knife will get sharpened away and the pattern will start to vanish.

Patterns can change even when professionals sharpen a Damascus steel knife. Before sharpening a Damascus steel knife yourself, consult an expert. You can contact us if you need tips; we're experts!

When taking a Damascus knife for sharpening, ask about retaining the pattern. You may get options like only sharpening the cutting edge itself. They could also try a method that keeps the pattern even if it looks worn. There is of course, always the option to give up on the pattern altogether too. A sharpener will likely check with you first, but it's a good idea to bring it up anyway.

The steel costs more due to extra processes

Damascus steel knives cost more to make. There are quite a few reasons for this.

The extra processing required to make the laminated material takes mastery. Plus, the forging itself is also labor-intensive and often needs specialists. This means the supply for these knives is lower, as it's hard to scale up. Blacksmiths take many years to become masters, after all.

Material costs are higher too. Many Damascus steel knives are san-mai or three-layer constructions. For them to still perform well, the middle layer needs to be a high quality, and thus more expensive steel.

Additionally, you must use a layer of nickel to bring out the patterns. Finally, the last processing may need acid and shot blasting to apply fine particles.

A Damascus steel knife will cost more than the same knife without Damascus steel. Damascus steel changes a knife's cost-performance ratio, and this change might be high. It depends on the knife!

Another type of Damascus steel exists in the Japanese market. You see this special technique used on hand-forged, Sakai-made knives. This finish is a great quality indicator, as only the best forgers can make it. Reserved for high-end knives, it's very different from Joining-type Damascus. And it's one of the types we mentioned earlier!

Forged Suminagashi-Damascus is a traditional, unique steel. The main point is that this is a Damascus finish also seen on carbon steel knives, like this Blue Steel #2 deba knife.

As said, it's a difficult technique to do, requiring a great deal of experience. Each blade takes significantly longer to complete, as the Suminagashi process is hand-done. This makes Suminagashi knives much rarer to find. But again, it means quality.

As a result, it's a type of finish that is very well known and appreciated amonggst professionals. In our case, we have knives with a Suminagashi finish using various Blue Steels. You can find this finish on single-edge Japanese knives like deba, yanagiba, and usuba. But, in the case of our VG10 Kei series, we also put it onto a stainless steel double-edged santoku knife.

Another special advantage is that the pattern can go deep into the knife. Sharpening causes the pattern to change, instead of it fading away. This creates a more and more unique knife as you use it. Of course, this always depends on the knife itself. It's best to ask first.

Measuring this kind of finish gets tricky and is sometimes a lot more binary; it either has it or not, depending on the style of forging. For comparison, Joining-type Damascus steel is often measured in "layers". You might see advertising that a knife has "75 layers of Damascus steel." Forge welded Suminagashi knives don't have this measurement system. This is because the core steel past the protective layer is part of the Suminagashi process.

Like Coreless Steel, the pattern can go to the cutting edge. Remember, acid-blasted Joining-style Damascus can't do this. Producing Suminagashi requires different techniques compared to making other knives. Sharpening these knives during their processing stage is done at an angle to the cutting edge. This leaves the soft iron dull, while the hard steel gains a luminous finish. As a result, ripples that look like flowing ink appear on the surface. This is where Suminagashi gets its name from,

Suminagashi knives are popular with those who have visual elements in their cooking. For example, some sushi restaurants have a counter in front of the customer. They are excellent presentation pieces that don't compromise on quality.

In short, they look great and they perform even better.

If you like the look of Damascus steel, then get a knife that has it!

There are pros and cons to getting a Damascus steel knife. But, it's one of the best and easiest ways to have a unique, one-of-a-kind knife. Damascus steel knives from us come with free engraving too! That's about as unique as you can get.

Knife culture and technology are always evolving. Over time, more and better ways to make a Damascus steel knife will emerge. This will make the knives better while retaining, even improving their beauty.

Our recommendations are below, but you can always contact us for more help or advice. There are many Damascus steels and knives out there! We know them all and can help you every step of the way.